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Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Booksparks is at it again with another....
#PopUpBlogTour!
That's right!
It's time for another FABULOUS #PopUpBlogTour thanks to the wonderful folks at Booksparks who are eager to put YOU right there with the best of the best of recently released titles. Take today's for example...it's a Young Adult release that just hit bookstore and virtual shelves May 15th, 2018 via Sky Pony Press. For a title that I can't even say without the accompanying sound effects (come on....you KNOW you did it too!), it hits some pretty heavy chords amid all the mixing, raves, and out and out partying. Don't believe me? Well then, grab your glow sticks and your best neon edged gear because we're hitting the floor and entering the DJ booth with today's book of choice...
by
Anna Hecker
9781510733336
Sky Pony Press
About the book...
Seventeen-year-old Mira has always danced to her own beat. A music prodigy in a family of athletes, she'd rather play trumpet than party -- and with her audition to a prestigious jazz conservatory just around the corner (and her two best friends at music camp without her), she plans to spend the summer focused on jazz and nothing else.
She only goes to the warehouse party in a last-ditch effort to bond with her older sister. Instead, she falls in love with dance music, DJing... and Derek, a gorgeous promoter who thinks he can make her a star. Suddenly trumpet practice and old friendships are taking a backseat to the packed dance floors, sun-soaked music festivals, outsized personalities, and endless beats of the EDM scene.
But when a devastating tragedy plunges her golden summer into darkness, Mira discovers just how little she knows about her new boyfriend, her old friends, and even her own sister. Music is what brought them together... but will it also tear them apart?
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Like I said, every time I say the title, it morphs in my head from simply words to an announcement, an anthem if you will, backed by DJ "footwork" and beats that vibrate in your chest. As powerful as that image may be, the story itself is just as hard hitting.
What I loved about this one was how the story married all types of music together, how the author took us behind the turntable into the hearts and souls of those who make or mix the music, and how much deeper the story ran than at first may be perceived. We've got sibling rivalry, artistic competition, family breakdown, those who've unknowingly lost their way, those just finding it, musical expression/appreciation, friendship lost and grown anew, first love/lust, drug use and repercussions of such...shall I continue? The elements of the story run as varied a circle as the notes that make up its virtual tracks, and are as colorful as the outfits sported by the attendees. Seriously, Google search "rave outfits" and you'll get an eyeful of multi-colored, eye searing, barely there "uniforms" as it were that would fit right in with what the gals wear in the book...though I'd be sticking more with Mira's cat's with laser eyes dress. 🙂
Outside of the musical expressions and adventures, or perhaps it's better to say intertwined with it, is the story of two sisters finding their way after loss, anger, and the bitterness of the world has had its way. Each character introduced has something to share, to learn, or simply to endure, but it enriches the story that much more. I adored Mira's character...honestly, she felt REAL. From her changing passion to her falling fast and hard for a sexy pair of eyes (Derek...grr), her love for her sister to her openness and acceptance of others (hello fellow DJ gal!)...even when she falls on her face (like with her jazz friends), she does it with such aplomb that you can't help but root for her all over again. Her sister, though completely lost for the time being, is another remarkable soul...hurting oh so much, but no less lovely than the glitter that adorns their faces when its party prep time. Her sister's best friend was equally splitting her self down the middle from who she was to who she wanted to be in the moment, yet still maintained a quality of innocence despite her extracurricular activities (though yeah, the baby doll bag...no thank you!). As for our love interest/manager...placing hottie status aside, if I may borrow a phrase from Taylor Swift. .."I knew you were trouble when you walked in...trouble, trouble, trouble..."...and TIME AFTER TIME your TRUE COLORS came shining through (Cyndi Lauper, anyone? 😉 ). Sorry, I simply couldn't help myself!
In the end, it was a musically charged tale that I simply did NOT want to end, but end it did and really WOW...just WOW. It'll take you on a ride you weren't expecting, to places you never dreamed to visit, and leave you with a new appreciation for music, life, family, and friends. Along with the entertainment factor, you've got a great reminder to follow your dreams, wherever they may lead, and even though they may change along the way, that's okay...it's YOUR beat, your mix to make.
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About the author...
Anna Hecker grew up at the dead end of a dirt road in Vermont. She holds an MFA from The New School and spent a decade writing ad copy and chasing beats before returning to fiction, her first love. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, son, and fluffy bundle of glamour, Cat Benatar.
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Special thanks to the Booksparks team for the chance to bring this title to you and the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now in "e" and "tree" formats via Sky Pony Press, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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